In a Hungry Africa, We Cannot Wait for Pigs to Fly

In a Hungry Africa, We Cannot Wait for Pigs to Fly

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Poverty and hunger often go hand-in-hand. But in my country of Uganda, farmers are generating a revolution that is overcoming both, and it is based on pigs.

In the past 30 years, the number of pigs raised in Uganda has increased from about 200,000 to 3.2 million pigs. Today, more than one million Ugandan farmers are raising both pigs and their incomes, with women playing a central role in pig farming.

Unlike in China and in developed countries of the West where pig-farming is typically industrial-scale, most of these farmers raise no more than a few dozen pigs. Yet, with their small operations, they are leading a rural transformation that is both environmentally sustainable and capable of lifting millions out of poverty.

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